CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Five new infrastructure projects in Corpus Christi are designed to make biking and walking safer for residents in Corpus Christi.
One of those plans include extending an existing hike/bike path from Mary Carroll High School to Carroll Lane on the Southside. At Tuesday's city council meeting, the city authorized agreements with to secure federal funding for the 10-foot multi-use path.
Melanie Salinas, an avid cyclist who owns Hype Bike downtown, said the project represents progress toward a larger goal.
"It's a piece of the bigger puzzle," Salinas said.
"Putting all the pieces together and making it an entire network of safely commuting from the southside of Corpus to the far north side of Corpus," Salinas said.
The project comes at a significant discount for the city. After federal reimbursement, the city will only pay 20% of total costs, with 80% covered by federal funding.
On Padre Island, a similar project focuses on pedestrian safety. The city is installing 5-foot wide sidewalks, curb ramps and additional infrastructure between Gypsy Street and Park Road 22 on Encantada Street.
Tommy Hovivian, an island runner, supports the sidewalk installation.
"Yeah I think it'd be huge. Especially because there's a lot of kids riding bikes around here," Hovivian said.
Gabriel Fernandez, safety officer for the Seashore Learning Center on the island, said the sidewalks will address a critical safety concern for students.
"So having sidewalks that'll alleviate so much angst that the parents have about getting their kids to and from school," Fernandez said.
"Because there's really no sidewalks for the children to get to and from school, they're forced into the road. And we have parents and people parking on the side road, it forces the children to ride their bicycles and electric scooters into the road," Fernandez said.
City leaders indicated these two locations are not the only areas scheduled for infrastructure upgrades.
Here is a list of all the projects (District 5's improvements will be funded by FY24 bond):
The City of Corpus Christi tells KRIS6 News that the projects are expected to go to bid within the next six to eight months and after the bidding process is complete they will go back to the city council for approval.
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